The 2000 Olympics

In both competitions, teams will be divided into two pools for the preliminary rounds.

Olympic competition dates: 16-30 September 2000

Venue: State Hockey Centre

. The first Balbir Singh, who was followed by four more players of the same name who also played for victorious Indian teams, scored five goals in a 6-1 gold-medal victory over the Netherlands at Helsinki in 1952.

The competition

The men's competition at the Sydney Olympic Games will be contested by 12 teams; the women's by 10. However, South Korea, Argentina, the Netherlands and Germany could offer strong challenges at the 2000 Olympic Games. The top two teams after the medal pool matches play each other for the gold and silver medals, and the third and fourth ranked teams play for the bronze. The winners of the semifinals meet in the final to play for the gold and silver medals, while the losers play off for the bronze.

India dominated the sport for three decades, winning all six Olympic gold medals and 30 consecutive games from 1928 to 1956.

In the women's event, the top three teams from each pool advance to a medal pool round, with each team playing each other team.

The athletes

Australia has dominated women's hockey for most of the past decade, winning Olympic gold medals in 1988 and 1996, the last two World Cups and five successive Champions Trophies.

The host nation — winner of the 1999 Champions Trophy — is also a leading contender in the men's division, while the Netherlands, the defending Olympic champion, is tipped to make it through to the medal rounds. Regional qualifying tournaments will determine the teams, except Australia which gets an automatic berth as host nation. In the men's event, the two highest-placed nations in each pool qualify for the semifinals.